Why Most Recruiters Don't Understand Ecommerce
Most recruitment agencies treat all industries the same. They change the keywords, swap the job titles, and run the same process. In ecommerce, this approach fails because the talent, the roles, and the evaluation criteria are fundamentally different from what generalist recruiters are used to.
The knowledge gap
A recruiter who does not understand the difference between ROAS and contribution margin cannot evaluate a media buyer. A recruiter who has never worked with a DTC brand cannot assess cultural fit. The knowledge gap is not just about jargon — it is about understanding what actually drives success in ecommerce businesses.
Why this costs you time and money
When a recruiter sends you candidates who look good on paper but do not understand DTC, you waste time in interviews that go nowhere. You waste money on hires that do not work out. And you lose credibility with good candidates who have a bad experience with an uninformed recruiter representing your brand.
What specialist recruiting looks like
A specialist recruiter speaks the language of both the founder and the candidate. They can evaluate technical ability in context. They know which brands produce great talent and which ones are coasting. This level of insight cannot be acquired by reading a brief — it comes from being embedded in the ecosystem.